Child of the Night
by AlyssaFelixa
Summary: Who is the messed-up feral kid who's shown up in New York? Why does she recognise them? And why she seem to have an affinity with the... WEREWOLF?
1. Prologue Shadow

Child of the Night

_Prologue_

_A young couple left MacDonald's, kissing furiously. The girl tossed her half-eaten burger into a side alleyway without a second thought._

_A few minutes later, a rat crept out of a dumpster and sniffed at the remains of the girl's meal. Unseen behind it, a dark form crept stealthily out of the shadows. The shape drew closer…_

_The being's stomach growled. The rat, sensing danger, abandoned its meal and scampered back to the dumpster. With a hiss of fury, the creature pounced._

_A moment later, the alleyway was empty. The creature was gone, and with it what was left of the rat._


	2. 1 First Impressions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Turtles (sob sob) but OCs are MINE, all MINE! Mwahaha!

Raph roared as he punched a Purple Dragon in the guts. The man, who was more of a walking tattoo, yelped as he flew backwards and collided with a wall. Raph had just enough time to unleash a spinning kick that succeeded in snapping the necks of two more gang members before the tattoo man had leapt up to face him again.

He glanced around at his brothers. Leo had just driven his katanas through the stomach of another Purple Dragon whilst Donnie and Mikey faced Hun. Shock slowly crept in on him as men poured from warehouses and trucks.

_We've never fought this many before_, he thought as he blocked another hit with his sai. He saw his brothers take hits to their arms and legs but keep fighting bravely. _We should be able to take 'em, but this is gonna be tricky…_

He slashed his sai through the tattoo man's throat and suddenly felt his arms being grabbed from behind. _Hey, what da shell!_ He struggled furiously against his opponent's grip, but couldn't get free. He could see a heavily built Purple Dragon approaching with a baseball bat gripped in one muscled hand._ Oh fuckfuckfuck. Fuck._

He could see his brothers, several metres away. A wall of Purple Dragons kept them from helping him. He writhed desperately, but his captor stayed firm.

_FUCKFUCKFUCK!_

The man in front of him smiled. Not in a friendly way, but in an "I'm going to enjoy hurting you" way. He raised his bat. Swung-

And was knocked backwards by a black shape that dropped in from above, clawing at his face. He tried to swat at it with the bat and screamed in pain as whatever it was that had attacked him sank its teeth into his arm, severing the muscle tendons. The man who had been holding Raph released him and lunged at his new foe, but whatever it was leapt over his head and landed behind him, dragging its claws down his back.

Raph watched, impressed. _It looks human, but a human don't move like that – if only it'd slow down so's I could get a proper look… _Suddenly he saw the muscled Purple Dragon lumbering towards him, waving the bat in his good hand. _Aw shell, I'm still in the fight._ Raph ducked and the man, already woozy from loss of blood, tripped over him. Raph quickly kicked him in the head, knocking him out, and leapt back into the fray.

The rest of the Purple Dragons, seeing that they were now losing, turned tail and ran. The turtles' new ally bounded over the rabble and landed neatly on the ground, a few metres from Raph. At last, he turned and took a good look.

It was skinny girl of about fifteen, dressed all in black; black turtleneck, black combat trousers and black trainers. Her hands were stained with blood. Raph looked at them and was startled to see that her three-inch-long nails seemed to be retracting into her fingers._ Holy shell, dey's like cat's claws. _Her looked at her face and jumped. Underneath an unruly mop of chin length blonde hair were two yellow eyes with slitted pupils, and as she opened her mouth he saw two rows of unnaturally pointed teeth._ Shell… cat's eyes too. What _IS_ she?_

The girl caught sight of him looking at her, and suddenly her nails shortened to a normal length, her teeth became normal and blunt, and her eyes were blue with round pupils. She watched him with an expression, not of shock like most people seeing the turtles for the first time, but of mere curiosity. Raph sensed Leo, Donnie and Mikey behind him, staring at her with the same feeling of bemusement that he felt. For a long moment, no-one said anything.

Suddenly, a brick sailed through the air towards her. Raph turned and saw a lone Purple Dragon sprinting off. _Coward. _With lightning fast reactions, the girl dodged the brick, jumped up, bounced off a fire escape over the roof of the building she had stood next to and was gone.

The turtles blinked at the spot where she had been in some amazement.

"Who was _that?"_ asked Leo.

"I don't know," mused Don, "but whoever she was, she wasn't exactly human. You saw how fast she moved."

"And her eyes." added Raph. The others looked at him quizzically. "You guys didn't see? She ain't normal, her eyes went all yellow and slitted, like a cat, and den dey was ordinary."

Mikey grinned. "Awesome! Maybe she's like Catwoman's kid sister, or her daughter. Or like a clone of Catwoman. Did Catwoman ever get cloned? That would be cool."

"Well whoever, or _what_ever she was, she's gone." Leo shrugged. "There's no point hanging around here."

She watched them from the shadows. What _were_ they? _They walk on two legs, they fight with two hands… maybe they're a new species. Or maybe they're like me, and they were born human or born as tortoises or something, but they changed. I can smell mutagen on them, so I guess that makes sense._

She sat there for a moment, watching them. She was sure she had never seen them before, but for some reason they brought back vague memories; a stone dwelling with rivers running through it and no windows, and a certain assured feeling. She could trust them. She didn't know how she knew that, but she could trust them.

So it didn't surprise her especially when they began to talk to each other. _They speak English. Hmm. _She listened to them talking about her, trying to gain some clue about their personalities, their identities, but she learned nothing._ Catwoman! Cheek, she's an amateur compared to me. And a slutty one at that._

They turned to leave. _Shit, now I'll have to follow them… Okay, that made me sound like a stalker. I can't follow them, I have a life! Heh, almost convinced myself for a second._ They jumped up and started to run over the rooftops. _I love how they go together, like friends. Or a family. Oh hell, I've missed that word. Bye bye, weird tortoise people… The only people in the world stranger than me._


	3. 2 Afraid or not

**Mucho de thankies for the reviews!**

**Oh, and sorry it's taking me so long to update, I'm a little busy at the moment, and the school computers HATE me…**

"What do you think they're up to?" murmured Don, peering at the cluster of Purple Dragons below them. The turtles were crouched on the roof of a warehouse, watching the thugs unloading a huge crate from the back of a truck, in an alleyway behind some warehouses.

"I don't know," muttered Leo, "But it's bound to be illegal, and probably pretty dangerous too."

"Fuckin' punks!" Raph growled. "They're gettin' cockier by the day."

The brothers hadn't seen any sign of the Foot clan for over a year, but since then the Purple Dragons had increased in confidence and numbers, and news of fights and murders were coming in from all over the city.

Suddenly, one of the men lost his grip on the crate, and it slipped. His colleague smacked him on the head.

"Idiot!" he hissed. "The boss wants this in as good shape as possible. How else is it gonna take out those green freaks for us?"

_There's our cue,_ thought Raph, as with a nod from Leo all four of them drew their weapons.

"You want me to tell Hun how well you're carrying his cargo?" continued the Purple Dragon below.

"No!" cried his co-worker. "I won't drop it again!"

"Too right you won't." said Leo, as with the quietest of thumps he and his brothers dropped to the ground beside the men. With a yell, they attacked the Purple Dragons.

_Ya know, _thought Raph, slamming his fist into a hooligan's chest, _ya never get a thrill like ya do beating up a few idiots like these._

He noticed two more men struggling to prize the lid off the crate. _Why do I get the feeling I'm really not gonna like whatever's in there?_ With a grunt, he body-slammed into them, sending them sprawling to the floor.

"Ain't your _mommies_ ever told ya dat crime don't pay?" he said as he approached, cracking his knuckles. Suddenly he frowned, as he saw the two men looking at something just behind his line of vision. _Hey, what're they- oh SHELL!_

He whipped round just in time to avoid a large fist that was speeding towards his face. _Hun. Dammit, why does that prick have to show up whenever I'm having a little fun?_ He grabbed both Hun's wrists to stop him from attacking, and then head butted him hard in his immense stomach. _Although sometimes he can add to the entertainment… _

He grabbed Hun and threw him hard, sending him crashing into a wall. A second before the big man landed, a black shape whipped away, narrowly avoiding being crushed by Hun's massive bulk, and flung itself into the fray.

Raph blinked, surprised. _It's that cat kid again. When'd she get here? _He kicked a Purple Dragon, who had tried to sneak up behind him, in the crotch. The man doubled up and crumpled to the floor. Raph was just about to finish him when he heard the thudding noise of wood hitting stone ground.

He whirled round and saw that one of the thugs was again trying to open the crate. Leo and Don started forward, but they had barely taken two steps before the girl leapt on the man, raking his face with already blood-covered nails. The man howled with pain, but suddenly one of his associates hit the girl hard from behind, knocking her sideways.

She hissed in pain as the force of the blow knocked her into a dumpster, scattering broken toys and month-old nappies over the ground. The bin toppled over with the force of the impact, trapping her underneath.

Raph bashed a Purple Dragon in the face, breaking his nose, and knocked him out with a quick smack to the head. He frowned at the still-upside-down bin. _Why hasn't she come outta there? She must be hurt._

He strode over to the dumpster and lifted it with ease. The girl had her back to him, and appeared to have been trying to haul up a corner of the dumpster to get free. _Looks like she ain't exactly a weightlifter. But she seems to be okay. _The girl spun around and suddenly dived at Raph, feline teeth bared.

Raph ducked – _Why the SHELL's she attacking me? _– and heard something rush past his head. A cry of pain sounded behind him. He turned and saw the girl clawing at a Purple Dragon, who was attempting to swat at her with a baseball bat. With a shock, he realised that the man had been about to hit him. _Oh… looks like she saved my ass again. _

The man rolled over, shoving the girl off him. With a grin of triumph, he lifted her up by the throat and drew back a fist. The girl scrabbled at his arms, leaving deep welts, but the man refused to let her go.

Raph reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey buddy, ya forgot something." The man turned, and Raph punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. "I always repay a favour."

The man slumped to the ground, releasing the girl's neck. She hopped to her feet and smiled at Raph. For a moment, something seemed to pass between them – a kind of mutual exchange of thanks, and of friendship, even though neither of them said a word.

**CRASH!!!**

The pair of them spun around to see that the crate – which Mikey had evidently been trying to keep closed – was now nothing but splintered pieces on the ground. The Purple Dragons, seeing that whatever had been inside was now loose, turned and ran. Mikey, meanwhile, was sprawled several feet away, clasping a gash in his arm.

_Are those… claw marks? But the cat kid's right here, who else-_

"**GRRAAHHH!"** A sudden roar from a spot several feet away made Raph turn his head. _Aw shell…_

A huge beast on four legs filled the exit to the alleyway. It vaguely resembled a wolf, but its razor-sharp teeth and claws were long enough to slice a man's arm off. Its huge body rippled with muscles, and even on all fours, it still easily topped five feet.

Raph gripped his sai tight. _That thing don't look too friendly._ He glared at it for a moment, trying to place it, but the only name he could find for it was… _werewolf. But that can't be right, it's a half moon. _

Suddenly he saw the cat-girl leave his side, and with an elated whoop that sounded distinctly like "jackpot!" she attacked the monster, slashing her claws down its side and dodging between its legs. The creature lifted itself onto two legs and swung at her with powerful limbs. The girl waited till the last second to move out of the way, evading it's attacks with a euphoric cry of "missed me!"

Raph frowned. _Is she tryin'a get herself killed?_

"Earth to Raph!" With a start, he looked up to see his brothers racing in to join the girl. He shook himself. _I gotta stop daydreaming in the middle of fights like this. _Raph charged the beast, yelling. Without even turning its head, the animal kicked him hard, slamming one hairy foot into his plastron.

Raph flew backwards, as the force of the blow sent him hurtling through a wall. _Note to self: big werewolf is seriously strong. Ow. _He clamberedback to his feet and looked around. To his immense relief, he was in one of the empty warehouses. _Good. I'm getting seriously tired of people pointing at me. _He looked at the rubble scattered over the floor. _Although I ain't jealous of whoever has to clear that up._

He ran back and attacked the creature again. This time, he tried to dodge its assaults, and attack whenever its back was turned. He could see his brothers attempting the same thing, but even with all of them fighting at the same time, it was impossible for them to get past the beast's massive limbs. The only one of them who could get close enough to hurt it was the girl.

_How come she can out-move it but we can't? She ain't _that _much faster than us._

Raph jumped backwards to dodge another of the creature's swipes – and suddenly understood. _She's doing damage 'cause she ain't trying to avoid getting hurt. But why? We can take a knock, if she gets hit she might not be getting up again…_

He saw Mikey charge forward, blood still spraying from the wound in his arm, nunchuks whirling. The beast batted him away like a fly, but now its movements were slowing, its roars fading to a faint whimper. It dropped to all fours and backed away slowly.

The girl stepped forward. Peering at the animal curiously, she let out a gentle _miaow._

The beast looked almost affronted. It snarled at the girl so viciously that they all leapt back in alarm, and then turned and bolted away. For a moment, Raph was tempted to follow it, but then he glanced at Mikey. His brother was pale, his right arm drenched in blood. _No way's he gonna be able to chase that thing._

He looked over at the girl. She had her back to them, and was dusting herself off, muttering darkly to herself about _bloody bins full of shitty nappies. _Raph took a step towards her and she jumped – literally – leaping onto a nearby fire escape before spinning around to watch them.

"Are ya scared of us or some'ting?" he called out.

The girl seemed to consider this for a second, almost as though she had forgotten how to speak. "No," she said at last, "I just forgot you were there." A sudden wicked glimmer came into her eyes. "The question is, are you afraid of me?"

Raph threw his head back and laughed. Pulling out his sai, he flexed his muscles, making himself look as threatening as possible. "Whaddya think?"

"I think that's not an answer." The girl leaned forward, resting her elbows on the safety rail and propping her chin in her hands. "So I'll ask again: are you afraid of me?"

"Nah. Leo?"

"Not especially. Don?

"Nope, sorry. Mikey?"  
"Well, a little…"

Raph whirled around to glare at his younger brother. "WHAT? Yer scared of a sixteen year old girl?"

Mikey flushed. "She's freaky!"

"So's your face." called the girl, but now she was grinning.

Leo frowned. "Your accent… you're British?"

The girl's smile dropped a notch. "English. They're different things. The same way a tortoise and a turtle are different things."

The four brothers paused for a second before Don worked out what she was asking. "We're turtles."

"Cool." The girl nodded for a second, and then cocked her head, listening to something only she could hear. "Time to go." In a single bound, she leapt onto the roof of a nearby building and away.

The turtles blinked at the spot where she had been.

"Why'd she leave?" said Leo

"Listen!" hissed Don. The brothers froze. Very faintly, they could hear the wail of rapidly approaching sirens. Without a word, Raph yanked up a nearby manhole cover and held it open, watching his brothers dive into the dark hole. For a single moment, he paused, watching the place where the girl had been.

Then he shook himself, and plunged into the blackness to join his brothers.

She sprinted away over the rooftops. She had waited just long enough to check that the strange turtle creatures had left safely, but she couldn't afford to stick around with the police on their way. _Not even for my first conversation in months._

At least she now had names to match the colours. Blue was Leo. Purple was Don. Orange was Mikey. And Red was… nice. He'd helped her out. For a minute there, he had brought back vague, flickering memories – but as soon as she'd reached for them, they had gone.

She sped on through the night.


	4. 3 Weird

**The song is "Lovely Ladies" from Les Miserables. Enjoy!**

In the dusty streets of New York, a small, dark figure hurried along, head down. She had the look of someone who was afraid; as if she had no-where to go, but anywhere was better than here. Her blue eyes peeked out fearfully from under unruly blonde hair.

For a moment she stopped, peering round as if to check that no-one was following her. She shivered slightly and hastened on, shoving her hands deep into her pockets.

An old man browsing in a newspaper shop tore his eyes away from the adults-only section to watch her. He saw her cower away from the wandering hands of a drunken man, finally sprinting into an alleyway to get away from him.

The man smiled and dropped today's edition of Playboy back on the shelf. He knew this part of the city well, and right now was finding two pieces of information especially useful: the fact that the police never came here, and the fact that that particular alley was a dead end.

In the alleyway, the girl smiled to herself, baring sharp fangs. She'd seen the old man cross the road to get to her, and knew exactly what he wanted. She'd seen that look a thousand times over the past year, and she knew where it could lead.

For a moment, animal rage poured through her at the thought of what he planned to do. Her claws slid out, but she clenched her fists and hummed a song she'd always liked, to calm herself. _Lovely ladies, waiting for a bite. _She had to stay human, or this wouldn't work.

She shook herself slightly and resumed her innocent-maiden act. _Just as well they never see the HATE that's in your head._

The man's shadow appeared at the entrance to the alley. She made her eyes look wide and adorable, giving him one last chance to walk away. If he didn't… She would teach him a lesson. _Don't they know they're making love to one already dead?_

The turtles bounded over the city rooftops. Don had patched Mikey's arm up perfectly, although it had taken a few days to heal. Leo had only let him come out with them on the proviso that he stayed away from any really bad fights.

Raph sighed. The Purple Dragons had been making so much trouble recently that even he'd started to miss just running for the sake of it. _Even that wolf thing ain't shown up recently. Looks like we might finally be in for a quiet night tonight._

"**Psycho bitch!"**

_I spoke too soon._ Without a word, the turtles stopped and crouched on the roof of an old bistro. An old man stumbled out of an alleyway, cursing violently. Even from five floors up, the brothers could see the blood streaming from deep gashes in his neck. _Ouch._

The turtles drew their weapons and peered into the alleyway that he had come out of. They could dimly see a dark figure standing around idly. Whoever it was didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry. _Great. We can kick his butt and get outta here before the cops show up._

Perfectly synchronised, the brothers leapt from their vantage point and lunged at the form. Raph pounced on the shape, sai aimed straight for his head – and fell through empty air, to hit the floor with a thud. _Hey, where'd he go?_

From somewhere behind him, he heard a noise – an angry hiss that turned halfway through into a cry of outrage.

"Oi! Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to try and sneak up on people?"

Raph leapt to his feet and spun around to see a familiar blonde girl crouched on a dumpster. An _annoyed_-looking familiar blonde girl.

"You!" he yelled without really thinking. The girl blinked and folded her arms.

"Me? Really? I had no idea!" _Sarcasm. I guess that's fair, we did try to jump her. Still…_

"What did you do to that old man we saw?" asked Leo.

"What's it look like I did?" Raph stared hard at the girl, and she stared hard back.

"He was just some poor old man." protested Don. _Albeit a poor old man with a serious potty mouth. _The girl leapt angrily down from the dumpster to face them. She was a few inches shorter than them, but with her long claws dripping with blood, she was still an impressive sight.

"Oh _sure,_" she said, voice rising. "Just some poor old man who followed me into an alley and tried to pull my top up!"

_Oh…_

There was a silence as the turtles realised their mistake. _Every time I assume something with this kid, she proves me wrong. _The girl stared at them hard for a second, and then… shrugged. In an instant, all her aggression seemed to drift away. She bent down and picked up three empty beer cans from the ground, before placing them upright, side by side.

Raph watched her in mild confusion, feeling distinctly embarrassed. "Are ya sure he was gonna…" his voice trailed off.

The girl's soft blue eyes met his. "Yup," she said, "I've done that a thousand times." She scooped up three pebbles, leapt up onto a fire escape above her head and sat on the rail, legs swinging.

Leo frowned. "You mean you _planned _this?"

The girl nodded. "Ever heard of a honey trap?"

_Nope. _Raph looked at Don for explanation. His brother looked thoughtful. "A honey trap is when you pretend to offer someone something they want… and in doing so, make them confess to a crime. It's what cops sometimes do to get evidence." He looked up at the blonde girl with confusion in his eyes. "So you…"

"If they try it with me, they'll try it with others who _can't_ defend themselves." The girl's tone was surprisingly nonchalant. She tossed a pebble at the cans in a surprisingly boyish gesture, knocking one over with a **clang**_. _She looked up at them and gave a small smile. "So I… teach them not to." **Clang.**

Mikey scratched his head. "You're weird." He said.

"Thanks." **Clang.**

" That wasn't a compli-"  
"Shh!"

The girl froze, eyes unfocused, clearly listening hard. Raph strained his ears _– or at least I would if I had any – _but heard nothing. They waited. Suddenly the girl leapt to her feet and sprang onto the roof.

Raph peered after her. "Hey, where are ya-"  
"Come on!"

The four brothers looked at each other in confusion.

"Do we go after her?" asked Mikey

"We ain't gonna find out what's goin' on any other way." stated Raph.

Leo looked doubtful. "It could be nothing." He said, "I didn't hear any-"  
**"AAAAAGH!"**

The turtles looked up at the sound of a girl's high-pitched scream.

"Heard enough yet, fearless?" bellowed Raph as they darted into the night.

**Please review… If you don't get it, just ask and I'll try to explain.**


	5. 4 Fearless Fanged

**Sorry it's taking me so long to write these… Self-flagellation for me. I've been really busy though. I've been away, I got proposed to AGAIN, and I ALMOST DIED (no really, I got hit by a car), then I started my GCSE's, took a piano exam, got drunk for the first time ever… So yeah, just a little busy. Big thankies to Kitten630 for nagging/helping me.**

**Reviews make me smile! Not that I'm hinting or anything.**

**Disclaimer: Legally speaking, I don't own them. But, well…**

**Raph: (rattling bars of cage) LET ME OUTTA HERE!!!**

The four brothers raced across the rooftops, trying to work out where the girl's scream had come from. They listened carefully, and could make out the sounds of a distant fight.

_She managed to hear that from where we were standing? _Raph's thoughts bounced around in his head like agitated flies, as with barely a glance at each other, he and his siblings turned towards the alley where the noise was coming from_._

Mikey glancedat his brothers.

The turtles landed soundlessly on the roof of a building, watching the fight. The cat-girl was engaged in a fight with a large group of Purple Dragons. Once again, she seemed to be enjoying herself, dodging each of their attacks by a hair's breadth, and throwing taunts at them every time she did so.

"Oooh, so close…nope…nada…EPIC fail...excuse me, are you even AWAKE?"

Raph frowned at her. _Surely there's no way she screamed? _Suddenly a horrendous shriek ripped through the air. Raph saw a young woman he hadn't noticed before, trapped in the end of the alleyway. A hairy Purple Dragon had grabbed her and pressed her against the wall, tugging at her belt with a laugh. _So… was SHE the one that screamed?_

Raph snarled and reached for his sais – but before he could get them out, the cat-girl had shot over to the woman, eyes ablaze, razor-sharp teeth bared in fury. She slashed wildly at the man's face, and he dropped to the ground, howling in agony. The rest of the Purple Dragons drew back. The woman stumbled back, shaking. The cat-girl gave her a comforting smile.

"Get out of here, okay? Call the police, but don't mention me." she said. Her tone was surprisingly gentle considering her rage a second ago, her kindly smile contrasting bizarrely with the blood splattered across her face. She paused, and looked down at the man whimpering at her feet, hands pressed to his ruined face. "And call an ambulance for this arsehole."

"Wha…I…who…" the woman spluttered, seemingly in too much shock to form actual words. "Th-thankyou."

The woman tried to hurry past the Purple Dragons, but one of them lunged for her, seizing her arm. The cat-girl darted forwards, but the thugs shifted, creating a living wall between her and the struggling woman. Without hesitating, the girl lunged at one of the men – but this time he was ready, punching her hard and knocking her backwards. He leaned over her, smirking. "You want fries with that, Mittens?"

"Great line, dude." The man jerked his head up sharply. In all the commotion, he hadn't noticed the turtles drop down behind him, weapons drawn. "But didn't anyone teach you it's…" Mikey chuckled and winked at the girl. "_Rude _to hit a lady?" He punched the man hard, sending him flying backwards.

The girl smirked up at him. "Nice of you to drop in."

Mikey mock-bowed. "Verily, my good maiden." He said, doing his best attempt at a posh English accent.

"That's _lady_ to you."

The Purple Dragons, spurred on by stupidity and illegal substances, charged forwards. The young woman sprinted off, looking relieved at having been forgotten. Raph pulled out his sais.

"Hey chuckle-head, Mittens, save the banter for when we've kicked some shell already."

"_Mittens?!" _the cat girl squawked at him, leaping to her feet and baring her teeth at the approaching gangsters. "Take that back, Frog Face!"

Raph spun around in amused bafflement as the girl leapt into the fight. "Frog Face? That's the best you could come up with?"

"She has a point, dude." called out Mikey, parrying a thug's blow, "You _do_ kinda look like a frog."

"That means you do too, shell-fer-brains."

"Mittens"darted past Raph, mauling a Purple Dragon below the belt and making even Raph wince, then dodged the man's enraged fellows. She was taunting them deliberately, dancing on the spot, always staying within reach, but dodging their every attack just as it looked like she was about to get her face smashed in. _Jeesh, this kid's even more of a live wire than Mikey. Fightin's fun and all, but seriously…_

"Hey Barbie!" he bellowed, "Quit playin' hopscotch an' do some damage!"

"Spoilsport!" she yelled back, before leaping onto a Purple Dragon's arm, teeth first. Raph parried and returned a series of punches and kicks, watching her. Despite her obvious fighting ability, she seemed to choose her attacks completely at random, by instinct, like… well, like a wildcat, he supposed. _If she was a second slower, an inch out… she'd be Purple Dragon feed. What's her game?_

Suddenly, the girl's wild flight broke off. She swayed dizzily, eyes closed, clutching at the wall for support. One of the Purple Dragons, spotting his chance, lunged forwards – but the next moment fell to the ground, one of Raph's shuriken embedded in his back. The girl shook herself and seemed to come to. Glancing from the dead man at her feet to Raph, a strange look somewhere between gratitude and disappointment crossed her face.

Another PD charged at her, but she leapt up out of his way, alighting on the stairwell of a fire escape above them. The man ran straight into the wall ricocheted off. The girl laughed, and looked at the thugs beneath her with a kind of dark delight. The men stretched up for her, somehow lacking the necessary IQ to use their bats for extra reach, and flailed wildly, unable to get at her.

"Coo-ee! Come on, shortarse, you're getting outdone by a girl!" The teenager giggled, then tilted back her head and spat in their eyes – not limply, the way most girls seemed to spit, but well-aimed, vengeful spitting that had the men reeling back in hilarious disgust. Yet despite her nerve, Raph sensed that she was still weaker than she let on.

He made his way over, knocking several Purple Dragon's heads together on the way. The idiots beneath the girl were so distracted by the fact that there was an actual _female _three feet away from them – and by her spit in their eyes – that they didn't notice his approach until he leapt into them.

The girl smirked down at him, blue eyes sparkling. "I swear these guys get thicker every day."

"Probably." Raph punched a Purple Dragon, who had tried unsuccessfully to sneak up on him. "I think they've only got the one brain between 'em."

One of the men hurled a brick at the girl, who caught it neatly and flung it straight back, catching him square between the eyes. "Bulls-eye! What do I win?"

Raph laughed, and then caught himself. _What am I doing? She shouldn't be fighting with us, she's just a kid. _He glanced up at her. She'd obtained a slingshot from somewhere, and was now firing stones from her vantage point, taking down a Purple Dragon with each _thwap _of elastic. Judging by her ecstatic whoops, these were the moments she lived for. _A kid with mad fighting skills and a great sense of humour… but still just a kid. What if she gets hurt?_

A crowbar swung towards him out of nowhere, heading straight for his face. Raph ducked, and the weapon slammed into his shoulder instead. _I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow._ He lunged for the man who'd tried to hit him, breaking his nose with the base of his sai. The man screamed in pain, and Raph noticed the last few Purple Dragons running away like frightened rabbits.

"Aw, leavin' so soon? Things were just getting' fun!" Raph turned on one heel towards the cat girl – and came face to face with thin air.

"Huh? Wat da shell?" Several awkward seconds passed as the four brothers' confusion hung uncomfortably in the air, until Mikey's voice pierced the silence.

"First she's a Catwoman relative, then she has mad fighting skills, and now she's a disappearing magician?! What next, an actress out of the Saw movies?"

Raph chuckled. "No bro, they left that one open for you."

"COOL! Where do I sign up?"

Behind him, Raph heard the familiar sound of Leo and Don shifting a manhole, signalling the end of another night's patrol. He turned with a sigh. Usually he'd object to quitting so early, and start a fight with Leo – but his shoulder was throbbing painfully, and there was wrestling on tonight. "Come on, Jigsaw," he called to Mikey.

"Just a sec, dude. I found a penny!" Mikey stooped down and scooped up a grubby coin. "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck!" he chanted.

Raph decided not to remind him that last time Mikey had found a penny, he'd put a fork in the toaster and nearly died.

Mikey straightened up, clasping the penny, but a split second later he dropped it with a shriek. From out of the shadows under the stairwell swooped a snarling face – a face masked in blood, with twin sets of razor sharp fangs and two wild yellow eyes.


End file.
